Sermon for Epiphany 2026 Fremont
When Jerry asked me to fill in for him, I was sorry to hear that he was ill, but I am glad to to be able to share this Epiphany with you as this feast day is one that holds much personal meaning for me as well as much to offer us as we reflect on this Gospel. This morning we hear another of those lovely and iconic stories that we have built seasonal traditions around and used as inspiration for our pageants and carols. The details of the visit related in Matthew’s Gospel are few, but over the years the story of the Magi has captured people’s hearts and imaginations and has been embellished with details that, in their symbolism, can add to its meaning for us. We know the story, have sung the carol our whole lives, maybe even have played the role of one of the Magi in the pageant – but, for a few moments, let’s go deeper, consider the details, the symbols to see what else it has to offer us.
Even though our carols and manger scenes often contain images of the “three kings,” many scholars believe that it would have been very unlikely that they actually visited the baby Jesus in the stable at his birth. From Matthew’s description of them finding the child Jesus in a house not a stable, it’s more likely that some time has passed. Scholars think perhaps a year and a half or so after Jesus’ birth, and that probably by this point, the family is back in Nazareth. Since it's likely that the Magi journeyed by camel from Persia, or modern-day Iran, which is about a thousand miles, a year or more after Jesus’ birth offers a reasonable timeline for them to arrive, and perhaps causes us to think a bit more about the magnitude of their journey,1 and to wonder a bit about the powerful call they felt to “follow the star” to find the child.
As far as the Magi themselves, we don’t know much about them. There may have been three, or twelve, or even more, and it’s very unlikely that they were “kings,” but were probably keepers of esoteric knowledge and learn-ed about astronomy, astrology and alchemy.2 One thing we do know is that they were Gentiles, serving as a sign that in the Incarnation, God was coming to abide with all people..2
Close attention to the stories surrounding Jesus’ birth reveals how much they connect to prophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures, and the story of the Magi is no exception. Some Biblical scholars believe that after observing some kind of celestial event, a light in the sky, these wise astrologers might have interpreted it in light of a well-known prophecy of that time, known as the “Star Prophecy”3 (Numbers 24:17), an exegesis of which had been applied to the coming Messiah in Jewish documents at about the time Matthew would have been writing his Gospel. This passage includes the words,: “You will deliver the enemies of all the lands and humble the mighty of the peoples,” and I cannot help but hear echoes of Mary’s Magnificat, Simeon’s song at the presentation, and even Luke’s description of Jesus’ quoting the words of Isiah early in his ministry in those words and to marvel a bit at how they were manifested in Jesus’ life as he centered the poor and the outcast and brought his light to those in darkness.
As they near the end of their journey, Matthew tells us that Herod summoned the Magi when he heard they were following the star to the child, as he was frightened by what the birth of this “king of the Jews” might mean. Herod ordered the Magi to come back after they found Jesus and tell him where they found him under the ruse that he too wished to worship him. Leaving Herod, and again following the light of the star, the Magi traveled on, found Jesus and offered him homage with gifts. They offered gold, a substance often connected with kings, frankincense, used by temple priests in worship, and myrrh used to anoint dead bodies, again, all replete with symbolism connecting Jesus to prophecies about the one who was to come, the “king of the Jews,” in a lineage of royal priesthood who would offer himself as sacrifice for the coming of God’s reign.4
And at the very end of the story, almost like an afterthought, Matthew tells us that the Magi were warned by a dream not to go back and give Herod the information he wanted about where to find Jesus. Clearly, they paid attention to the dream, and to their own inner wisdom about its meaning, and “went home by another way.” As Matthew’s Gospel continues, we hear that Herod took other means to try to eliminate the threat he believed that Jesus posed by murdering all the boy children under two in the region, as well as prompting Joseph to take Mary and Jesus into Egypt as refugees from Herod’s threat.
The tapestry of these interwoven stories that surround the Incarnation from the beginning of Advent through the Christmas season offer us an amazing cast of characters who all played their part in the coming of Jesus, the light of the world as a small human child, come to dwell with us in the humblest of circumstances. The Magi, like Mary and Joseph, all faithfully take on their part, saying yes to angels, paying attention to dreams and stars, listening to inner wisdom, watching and waiting and acting with courage in response. Mary heard God’s ask of her, and despite the danger it posed, took on the role of the God-bearer. Joseph listened to the voice of the Spirit in his dreams and was willing to take on the protection of Mary and Jesus despite the risks. The Magi attended to both the light from the star and the inner light of their own wisdom, and were led to Jesus-the-light, then listened to the prompting of their dreams to avoid Herod. I wonder how the story might have been different, if any one of them had not listened, not attended, to God’s call, had given in to fear and turned away…
Like, Mary, Joseph and the wise ones, each of us too us called – to listen to that still small voice of Spirit and follow the promptings however they come to us, to attend to the wisdom of God’s word in the scriptures and as it is offered to us in the living example of the life of Jesus, to see the signs of the light when it presents itself to us, and, most importantly to have the courage to follow wherever it leads us. Mary did not allow herself to be highjacked by the fear of what might happen to her as a young unwed mother, Joseph was willing to listen to the promptings of his dreams more than once, and act to do what needed to be done, the Magi had the courage to set out on the journey and the wisdom not to be led astray by Herod. Like them, we are called to act with wisdom and courage, to say yes to the call, to set out on the journey, to change the plan and be willing to go home by a different way if necessary.
We hear about the light of the star that led the Magi to Jesus, the light that John tells us is in the world and cannot be extinguished, and we know that the light of God present in the Incarnation is with us still. And we are reminded again that in the Incarnation, God came among us in a new way; that no matter how much darkness surrounds us, that the light Jesus brings cannot and will not be extinguished. That no matter what comes – we have the promise that God is indeed always and ever among and within us. It can be hard sometimes not to be overcome by the fear of what might come, to get caught up in whatever passes for smooth talking kings in our lives and lose sight of our own journey to find the light. But like the Magi, we too need to keep on until we find the light - not to hold it close or bury it under a bushel or keep it for ourselves, but to share it. To notice where it shines, to attend to its brightness, to name it as the light of love, as the light of God, and trust it and to shine it brightly. And to, as Jesus tells us – BE that light! As our ancestor John Wesley says, to: “Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.”
Remembering that no matter what comes, the light of Jesus, the light of love, the light that can never be overcome, is with us. Amen.
1 https://www.nga.gov/features/rubens-magi/biblical-magi.html
2 https://www.britannica.com/topic/Magi